Slide 1

PLAYINGPOSITION

Offensive Positions

Offensive Line:

The big lumps whose job is to protect the quarter-back on passing plays and create holes in the defensive line during running plays.

The guy in the middle is called the Centre (C) and he's the one who throws the ball through his legs to the quarter-back.Outside of him are the Guards (G) and outside of them are the Tackles (T) .Once the ball is snapped it is rare that these players handle the ball.

QB - Quarterback:

He controls the game, calling plays and throwing the passes to his team-mates.

WR Wide Receivers:

Hes the fastest players on the team. When the quarterback tries to pass the ball over longer distances, he will be looking to pick out his wide receivers.

RB - Running Back:

This is the guy you see standing beside or behind the quarter-back when the ball is snapped. If the offense opts for a running play the quarter-back will hand the running back the ball and he'll start legging it until he gets tackled.

If there appears to be two running backs and one of them is a bit fatter than the other, the fat one will probably be a Full Back (FB) who is there to block for the other running back.

TE - Tight Ends:

Big guys with good hands who line up on the outside of the offensive line. Their unique skill set means they can be used to block or to catch the ball on passing plays. They won't be the quickest players so they'll generally be used on short passing plays but their height means they can be picked out even when covered by the defense.

DEFENSEPOSITION

Defensive Line:

Consists of anywhere from three to six players who line up in front of the offensive line. Their job is to occupy the offensive line to allow the linebackers to get to the quarter-back or stop the running back. Exact positions can change, but the defensive line can be made up of Ends (E) and Tackles (T).

Linebackers:

They line up behind the defensive line and they'll sometimes rush the quarter-back looking for a sack or defend potential receivers but their main task is to prevent the run up the middle. The ones lined up on the outside are unsurprisingly known as Outside Linebackers (OL) and the one in the middle is equally unsurprisingly known as the Middle Linebacker (ML).

Defensive Backs:

You'll also hear these players referred to as the secondary and consists of Cornerbacks (CB) and Safeties (S). Their role is to cover the wide receivers, so they need to be quick and mobile to follow the routes. Occasionally they'll rush the quarter-back on a blitz but this is a risky tactic which leaves the downfield wide open.

SPECIALTEAMS

There are group of players for attacking, a team for defending and a team for kicking the ball. The kicking and returning units are called special teams and their job is either to kick the ball into the oppositions territory and prevent them from running it back or to receive the ball and get as far back down the field as possible.

GAMEOFFICIALS

UMPIRE

Primarily responsible for spotting the ball at the beginning of plays.REFEREE

Is responsible for the general supervision of the game and has the final authority on all rulings.

HEAD LINESMAN

Responsible for the chains used to verify how many yards a team has covered during a play. LINE JUDGEResponsible for time keeping and helping the Linesman to set up the line of scrimmage.

BACK JUDGE

Responsible for monitoring the duration of time outs and half-time.FIELD JUDGE

Tends to stand towards the rear of the field and makes sure players arein-bounds.

SIDE JUDGE

Also responsible for ensuring players remainin-bounds and supervising play on his side of the field.

SIGNALSFOROFFENSE

Clock doesnt stop.

The referee moves an arm clockwise in a full circle in front of himself to inform the offensive team that it has no timeouts, or that the ball is in play and that the timekeeper should keep the clock moving.

First down.

The referee points with his right arm at shoulder height toward the defensive teams goal to indicate that the offensive team has gained enough yardage for a first down.

Fourth down.

The referee raises one arm above his head with his hand in a closed fist to show that the offense is facing fourth down.

Holding.

The referee signals a holding penalty by grabbing one wrist with the clenched fist of his other hand and pulling his arm down in front of his chest.

Illegal forward pass.

The referee puts one hand waist-high behind his back to signal an illegal forward pass. The referee then makes the loss of down signal.

Illegal motion.

The referee flattens out his hand and moves his arm to the side to show that the offensive team made an illegal motion at the snap or prior to the snap of the ball.

Illegal push.

The referee uses his hands in a pushing movement with his arms below his waist to show that someone on the offensive team pushed or illegally helped a ball carrier.

Illegal shift.

The referee uses both arms and hands in a horizontal arc in front of his body to signal that the offense used an illegal shift prior to the snap of the ball.

Incomplete pass.

The referee shifts his arms in a horizontal fashion in front of his body to signal that the pass is incomplete, a penalty is declined, a play is over, or a field goal or extra point attempt is no good.

Ineligible player downfield.

The referee places his right hand on top of his head or cap to show that an ineligible receiver on a pass play was downfield early or that an ineligible member of the kicking team was downfield too early.

Intentional grounding.

The referee waves both his arms in a diagonal plane across his body to signal intentional grounding of a forward pass. This signal is followed by the loss of down signal.

Juggled pass.

The referee gestures with his open hands in an up-and-down fashion in front of his body to show that the pass was juggled inbounds and caught out of bounds. This signal follows the incomplete pass signal.

Loss of down.

The referee places both hands behind his head to signal a loss of down.

Touchback.

The referee signals a touchback by waving his arms and hands above his head and then swinging one arm out from his side.

Touchdown.

The referee extends his arms straight above his head to signify that a touchdown was scored. He also uses this signal to tell the offensive team that it successfully converted a field goal, extra point, or two-point conversion.